Knowledge Management (KM) is an interesting concept. Arguably the biggest reason why humans are the most successful species on Earth is due to our intelligence. So it makes sense why there are entire systems, like Zettlekästen, that describe ways to manage our ever-growing knowledge.
I'm extremely passionate about this topic. In the past, I have used Notion, Apple Notes, Neorg (neovim > emacs btw), Goodnotes, Notability, Evernote, Craft, Bear, and more. I've tried to build systems to manage my knowledge in each of them but I always felt I was being constrained somehow. I was consistently working around the software, not my notes. This is not to say these applications are mediocre. In fact, each have their unique strengths that work for their users. However, I never got that sense of seamlessness that I was looking for until using Obsidian.
Here are my notes in Obsidian:
I'm a huge believer that great software becomes subconscious. If users forget what app they are using and instead focus on what they are using it for, I believe that's a testament to the thoughtful design, architecture, and effort behind it. This is a fundamental principle behind the development of Tondova. We want to build a knowledge management tool that supports our users in all aspects of their lives.
What's Missing?
To keep it short, a distributed data layer. Our world is becoming more and more distributed in terms of where data is being stored. For example, on any given day I may put valuable data in upwards of 5-7 apps. I might set my TODOs in my task management app, edit my calendar, message some friends, create a presentation for school, push code to GitHub, edit a design in Figma, and much more. A true seamless note-taking experience is one that allows me to take notes on this data without having to manually duplicate it within the application itself. This is actually more powerful than it may initially seem.
By pivoting away from the "One App To Rule Them All" goal, we enable users to use the apps they love while still having a seamless way of taking notes about that content in Tondova.
Another massive goal for this startup is to build the best personal assistant for our users. We want to enable a magical KM experience that allows our users to store, query, and grow their knowledge in a way that feels like having a living second brain.
The possibilities are endless:
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| "Who did I meet a few days ago?" | My KM tool, with authorized access to my contacts: "You met John Doe." |
| "What do I have planned today?" | My KM tool, with authorized access to my calendar: "You have 3 meetings scheduled..." |
| "Summarize what I learned last week." | My KM tool, with access to my notes: "You learned about electromagnetic waves..." |
| "Teach me about machine learning." | My KM tool, with access to the entire internet: "Machine learning is about..." |
…and so much more—a true second brain. Moreover, I don’t envision a future where users have to navigate tons of web interfaces—from chatgpt.com to claude.ai to perplexity.com—just to find the information they need. Instead, I believe a unified interface for these services, integrated within a platform that understands the user, will provide the most seamless and intuitive experience. A KM tool seems like the perfect place for such an interface.
Current Progress
Tondova is currently being built by Wesley Zhang, Rishabh Narayanan, and me. We have been hard at work over the past year, designing, developing, and refining what a truly powerful KM experience can be. We have faced numerous challenges, delays, and unexpected hurdles—but we have learned so much along the way. We are dedicated to building a product that truly supports and empowers our users’ knowledge.
We couldn’t be more excited to launch our MVP soon and would love for you to try it out! If you’re interested, please reach out to me on LinkedIn or send me an email. Finally, be sure to follow our startup page to stay updated!